Eric
Nothing worth talking about happened during training. I got yelled at, I got better at embarrassing people who thought they could beat me and I completely did not see why I was on the King's Guard since I was the future king. I was more mature than most adults and my abilities were incomparable. I could read and control minds, move objects with my mind and even wield other people's abilities. Father claimed my powers were only growing which meant everyone on the Guard couldn't take me on.
"Eric, come let's practice before Commander Zane gets here" Caleb said as he threw a wooden sword at me. I was quick to take him up on the offer but just as we got into fighting stances, a little girl walked into the arena. She seemed so out of place with a golden yellow ribbon in her thick reddish brown hair. She wore black shorts and a yellow t-shirt. She seemed to be too young for the tryouts. Our unit needed five more children to be complete. All the squads in the King's Guard were made up of ten members with various gifts regardless of age but most children started at seven or eight years of age. Being the heir to the throne meant I started earlier than most. Needless to say, my gifts manifesting at four years of age meant that I got a free pass to start training with my father's best soldiers.
Nine other children walked into the arena. The little girl looked shocked to see only boys for the try outs and all of them seemed older. I tried reading her thoughts and failed. Troubled I tried harder until a sweet voice in my head calmly said, "It's rude to pry into other people's minds you know."
Shocked, I fell to the ground as Caleb laughed deepening his voice to mimick our commander, "Pay attention to your opponent when you fence."
I could still feel her in my mind. "Stay out of mine as well." I mentally shouted.
Another person had telepathy? I'd met no one besides my father and Zane. I was mesmerized to discover I wanted to fight her.
"A little girl like you should go home, play with dolls and leave the boy stuff to us." A group of boys sorrounded the little girl who just ignored them until one of them pulled her pony tail as she tried walking away. A sudden urge for me to beat him up got me walking towards them. Caleb, Josh, Enzo and Keith followed as well. We were already a solid team and we hated bullies.
As we walked to the try out side of the arena, I saw the boy gripping her hair light up. He screamed as golden light consumed his body. After a second, it stopped. She crouched beside the whimpering boy and murmured, "Maybe next time you shouldn't scream like a girl if you want to do boy stuff." She stood up as everyone scattered away afraid of her. "She's a lighter!" One of them shouted as he pointed. "She should not be in the tryouts..."
When the boys saw the five of us, they immediately quieted. The girl just looked bored. I touched the boy on the ground and realized he wasn't burned but he was groaning as if in pain.
"He will be fine before the Commander gets here", she mumbled.
I grabbed his tshirt and demanded, "Apologize."
He looked at me then at the girl. I asked, "what's your name?"
"Drake"
"Apologize to her before I make you..."
He stared at the girl who looked him straight in the eye waiting...
"I'm sorry...", he didn't mean it since he was glaring at her and his thoughts were screaming vengeance.
"Mean it", I shouted,
"I was wrong to pull your hair and make fun of you. I'm sorry..."
Fear brought on that apology but it was something for the rest to see.
"On the Royal Guard we respect. But you wouldn't know that. You'll do well to remember that during your tryouts."
The Commander whistled and we all stood alert as he walked towards us.
He nodded towards me and looked at Drake once then said, "We will begin now. The ten contestants will each go to through a series of tests and then the ten commanders will decide which five of you makes it to the Guard.
We will test physical strength, royal abilities and then mental prowess. I assume you have been training since we informed you of the tryouts. You will each be assigned a commander. Any questions?"
"Why is a lighter among the contestants?" Drake asked.
"Because she has control over her gift at such a young age. Most of you are seven or eight but she is five and from what transpired in my absence, it's clear she is more mentally mature than most of you."
The boys immediately looked ashamed and Drake glared at me as I smirked.
The little girl whose name I didn't know looked at me and smiled. It was very subtle but I projected my thoughts to her mind...
"Go get them Princess..."
We got a front row seat to the tryouts and for the first time in a while, I felt something more. I watched her tear through the huddles in the Shifter Forest, she marvelled at its beauty and even gaped at the royals who shifted into all manner of beasts. Each shifter she met tried to attack but she was prepared. She avoided them instead of stopping to fight them. Some tigers roared, pythons tried to immobilize her but she was agile and fast. A wolf so huge it scared her snarled but she put him in a light bubble which slowed her down but she kept going. Her mission was to get to the Shifter Castle. How did I know all this? I could somehow hear her thoughts. She had let me in unconsciously. A lighter with telepathy was a lethal combination since in Royal telepaths were able to use their minds for just about anything... The king and Commander Zane were the only telepaths I had heard of besides myself and now a green eyed little girl whom I nicknamed Princess.
As she got to the castle, I felt her joy. "Reina you can do it!",She chanted. Finally I knew her name! Reina..."What are you smiling about?" Caleb teased. "I'm not smiling." Caleb sniggered,"She made it, didn't she?" I ignored him."Life as a royal just got a whole lot more interesting my friend."
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